Notes and Editorial Reviews

This is one of those offbeat discsRead more that I did not request and was prepared to dislike. Bach played on a guitar? Well, I have a friend who is working on a version of Bach’s Italian Concerto on the harp, so why not?

As it turns out, Xuefei Yang is an extraordinarily sensitive and gifted guitarist whose playing has not only the requisite technique but also the kind of musical sensitivity I appreciate. She knows how to shade and color her playing with dynamics, crescendos, and a way of emphasizing certain notes and elements of the music to make it communicate. Perhaps her finest tour de force on this disc is the Sonata in G Minor, which she plays in a completely captivating manner. According to the notes, Yang has also recorded Rodrigo’s popular classic, the Concierto de Aranjuez, for EMI. I’d love to hear that one.

The playing of the Elias String Quartet in the three concertos is well attuned to Yang’s concept of the music in spite of their slightly stricter, more modern approach. You may have more than your share of Bach CDs on your wall, so for some of you this may be a superfluous addition, but if you have room for this disc I can assure you that you’ll like it.

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review: ( 2 Customer Reviews )

exceptional performance,exceptional performerApril 29, 2013By ronaldo f. (MIAMI, FL)See All My Reviews"Although not so known in the West, Xuafei demonstrated total control of her instrument. It is not easy to use a guitar when Bach wrote the pieces for other instruments. The adaptation is fantastic. The result is an extraordinary musical experience, one that you'll always remember as the template for classical guitar pieces."Report Abuse

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